Season is Over

The season has now officially come to it's end.  We lost our first game to the Stockholm Eagles by 2 points.  They finished the season undefeated and went on to win the Final Four.  We did finish on a strong note by winning the 3rd place game by 18 against Malbas. I am really proud to be apart of this team and all that we accomplished.  It has been a lot of fun spending my last 7 1/2 months living in another country with my life fulfilling a childhood goal and dream.  I wouldn't change it for the world.

Here are some pictures from the weekend.  I want to thank everyone who followed my blog this season and I hope I was able to give you a glimpse into what my life was like over here and what I experienced.  Some day I'll be able to tell my kids I just packed up my bags, left the country and pursued a dream.  I am pretty proud of that.

Today is my last full day here in Nassjo.  We have a team dinner tonight where I will get to say goodbye to all my friends and teammates and then my train leaves early in the morning tomorrow.  I would appreciate any prayers for safe travel. This is a long journey back!  Thanks again!

-Rob

Going to the Final Four!

What an awesome game! The team showed a lot of heart and determination as we defeated LF Future 90-83.  Down by 4 with 4 minutes to go and needing to win by at least three, we stepped up our defense and made some key shots and free throws to seal the victory.  So next up we will be traveling down to Malmo next weekend to play 2 games no matter what.  First we will take on the Stockholm Eagles who are undefeated this year and also looking to move up to Sweden's top league like we are.  All the pressure will be on them as they are the favorites but we know if we play our game we have a great shot at taking them down.  Depending on how that game goes, we will then play again Sundays vs either the winner or loser from the other semi-final game which is Hogonas vs Malbas.

I am so excited to be making it to the Final Four this season since last season we missed out on going to the playoffs.  It should be a great experience and one that I have been looking forward to all season.  I finished with another positive game with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.  I put together a couple highlights from the game so I hope you enjoy.  I really can't believe the season is almost over.  I only have 1 more week left here in Sweden as I fly home next Tuesday after the Final Four.  Again, thanks for all the love and supports all season for Becca and myself.  I will let you know how it went next week!

Update on Playoffs

Well, we had a super long trip up to the northern part of Sweden which took a bus ride to Stockholm (4 hours), then flight to Lulua (1 hour) and then back.  Unfortunately we lost the game by 2 but we are still in good shape.  We will play LF Future again this upcoming Sunday at home and as long as we win by 3 or more, we will advance to the Final Four.  I am confident we will get this win.  We are undefeated at home this year and played one of our worst team games and only lost by 2 on the road.

I finished the game with 8 pts, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.  I am including some highlights from our last regular season game vs Sanda and also the highlights from our game from last night vs LF Future.

Becca has arrived safely at home in the States and I miss her already but this is giving me some time to spend with the guys so that is nice.  You really realize how much you miss your significant other when instead of doing a small load of laundry, you take the laundry into the shower with you and wash it there instead :) Haha.  Seriously though, Becca is amazing and she made this season for me by having her over here.  I couldn't have been gone so long without her.

I will update you all again next week with the results from our first round of playoffs.  Enjoy the highlight clips and go Nassjo!

94-79 Win vs Helsingborg

We got another really good win on the road last Saturday against Helsingborg.  I finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.  We now have just one game left in the regular season where we will take on Sanda next Saturday at home.  After that game, we will be starting with our first playoff game on April 1st where we will be flying to Northern Sweden. 

It is crazy how fast this whole season has been going by.  I can't believe it is almost over.  Becca only has 8 more days here before she heads back to the states and I have less than a month.  At this time, I have not been able to get a hold of the game film from our last game so I apologize but I don't have any highlights at this time.  If they become available though I will put it up.  I will be seeing you all back home very soon. :)

Clinched Playoff Birth!

With our 94-57 win on Sunday vs Eos, we have officially clinched a playoff birth! I am so excited about this because last year I didn't get this opportunity while I played over here so I am really looking forward to it.  But first about the game.  It was actually a sort of boring game.  I did not feel like I played great because I missed a few easy shots but I worked hard and finished with a decent stat line with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists.  I was also selected as player of the game although I'm sure there were other guys more deserving.  Anyway, it was a great team win so take a look at a couple of my highlights from the game.  Sorry there is nothing terribly exciting :)

As far as playoffs go, it looks like we will finish in 2nd place in the south division and will most likely play Lulea from the north division who will probably finish in 3rd there.  We will play a home and an away game and if we split, then they go to point differential and the winner moves on the the Final Four.  The thing which could be really cool here is the Lulea is located in the far north of Sweden which would be like a 24 hour bus ride so hopefully we would get to fly to the game.  I have yet to be anywhere north of Stockholm so I am really looking forward to this adventure plus the promise of getting to play more games!  I will keep you all updated on exactly where everyone finishes and where I will be going.

Speaking of going, Becca and I are going to Rome, Italy this Thursday for a quick little vacation since we have a bye week for basketball.  Becca has been there before but only for a day and it will be my first time in Italy.  We will be staying in a Bed and Breakfast right outside of Vatican City.  For more detailed info check out Becca's blog here! Can't wait to tell you all about it when I get back. Thanks for following.

Nassjo Victorious Again!

This far into the season, every game that we play is important to our standings. This past weekend we had a commanding team win over Hogsbo, helping to secure our position in the post season tournament in April.

With just fifteen minutes of play, I was 6/6 from the field and 3/3 from the free throw line. I finished with fifteen points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. It was probably one of my best overall games, as I also led our team in efficiency. Included are my highlights from the game. Hope you enjoy my dunk!

We only have three games remaining in the regular season. Two of the games are home, and we only have one more away game. After these games are done, we begin the post season playoffs. The time I've spent here has already gone by so quickly that it is hard to believe that I will be back in the States in about a month and a half. I'm really trying enjoy all the days I have left here with the team, friends and Becca!

Check back next week for an update on my game vs. IK EOS.

Win vs Srbija!

We got a great win on Sunday against Srbija 109-87.  This was especially good since they were one of the 2 teams that defeated us earlier in the season.  We are really playing well as a team right now and are looking strong as the regular season is coming closer to an end.

I had another good game with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. I am going to put up some of my highlights from the game so check it out :)  Our next upcoming game is on the west coast of Sweden in Gothenburg where we will take on Hogsbo.

Another fun note about today is that it is the National Semlor day here in Sweden.  So while you are all back home enjoying your paczki's, we have our semlor's which in like a baked bread roll with an almond/vanilla sugar concoction in the middle with a sort of whipped cream topping and powdered sugar on top.  It is delicious!  So until my next update after our next game, thanks for following and go Highlanders.